In 2021, Amazon lost around $34 million in sales. The reason? Its website crashed for an hour.
Whether you’re an IT giant like Amazon or any other large organization, website issues can cost a fortune. And the repercussions aren’t limited to financial losses—they can also undermine customer trust and lead to missed business opportunities.
To avoid such situations, you need to look for a web hosting provider that offers top-quality support.
But how do you know which provider has the best web hosting support? Keep reading to learn what features you need to look for.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What is web hosting support?
- Features that set leading web hosting support companies apart
- Why some web hosting support is a cut above the rest
What is web hosting support?
Web hosting support refers to the assistance and guidance a web host gives its users. The goal is to resolve the issues and challenges faced by website administrators. Support can include help with website management, maintenance, and security for a wide range of topics, such as:
- Technical issues: Troubleshooting support for database connectivity, virtual private server (VPS) server hosting errors, performance optimization, and any problem that prevents your website from running efficiently.
- Security threats: Resolving security vulnerabilities, such as malware threats.
- Website maintenance tasks: Backups and software updates.
- Website customization tasks: Helping with website design and layout, configuring cPanel (a Linux-based control panel), and installing relevant plugins.
- Domain name tasks: Assistance with domain registrations, domain transfers, and troubleshooting other domain-related issues.
(Related: How to identify a scam and stay safe online)
Features that set leading web hosting support companies apart
Not all web hosting support is created equal. By comparing features across different platforms, you can see which hosting provider will make website management smooth and seamless for your team.
24/7 availability for live support
What happens when you manage a large ecommerce website that crashes during a big sale, like Black Friday? Each minute the website is down costs you sales. In this scenario, 24/7 customer support services can improve uptime and curb financial losses.
Phone support
24/7 phone support is crucial when you’re facing an urgent site issue. A help desk representative will listen to your queries and recommend a quick fix. Regardless of which time zone you’re in, a rep will be available.
Many web hosting providers offer phone support. But some only offer this feature at specific times. If your website goes down outside of those hours, you won’t be able to call for help.
On the other hand, some providers have 24/7 phone support. So, if your site crashes on a Sunday, you can still get back up and running quickly.
Live chat support
In some cases, it may be easier to explain the issue in writing using a live chat feature. You can even save a copy of the conversation to use for reference later.
Some hosts outsource their chat support or use chatbots. Others provide 24/7 live chat support that’s staffed entirely by in-house experts.
Ticketing system with rapid response times
Some website issues don’t have an immediate fix. They need an in-depth inspection, which can’t be done by phone or chat.
In a situation like this, a ticketing system is the best option. Here’s how it works:
- The customer submits a support request for an inquiry.
- The system generates a ticket and assigns a unique tracking number to it.
- The ticket goes through different stages (e.g., triage) until the issue is resolved. Customers can view the progress of each ticket.
Web hosting companies can resolve tickets within a few hours to a few weeks. The time varies based on a number of factors, such as how complex the issue is and what resources are available. A reliable web hosting provider will resolve your ticket as soon as possible.
(Related: What does a software developer do?)
Knowledge base
For many users, the first instinct after running into a website hosting issue is to search for an answer. For these users, many web hosting solutions offer a self-service option in the form of a knowledge base.
A knowledge base includes FAQs, troubleshooting guides, tutorials, webinars, and documentation related to the platform.
Advanced technical support
At times, you need expert support to walk you through an issue. Because of this, it’s important to choose a web hosting support team with experts in your application, whether you use WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, or something else.
Technical support teams are often split into levels based on their skills. For example, level 1 support staff can help you with basic issues, like domain name registration.
Higher-level staff handle the more complex and practical aspects of IT support. For example, they can help you improve your website’s performance through various means, such as caching.
Some of the tasks these professionals can help you with include:
- Website migration: Migrating your websites from one hosting provider to another or switching from shared hosting to VPS hosting, cloud hosting, or dedicated server hosting for better performance.
- Troubleshooting: Diagnosing and addressing errors related to server performance, database connectivity, and other issues.
- Software support: Installing and configuring content management systems (CMSs) and other web applications.
- Server configuration and monitoring: Adjusting server settings, such as domain management, and diagnosing potential issues that can affect your website’s performance.
Robust security support
According to an analysis by SiteLock, the average website sees 172 cyberattacks per day.
Security vulnerabilities to your website can lead to unauthorized access and data loss. As a consequence, your organization might face business disruption, reputation damage, regulatory compliance issues, and high remediation costs.
That’s why you need a reliable web hosting service that can keep your website secure at all times. The staff can help with the following:
- Malware removal: Removing malicious software from your website, including adware, spyware, and ransomware.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): Providing an extra layer of security for your website accounts. This can allow you to receive one-time passwords (OTP) via email, SMS, and other channels.
- Backup and recovery: Setting up regular backups of your website’s data and creating a recovery plan to restore data in the event of a cyberattack or server failure.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates: Implementing and managing SSL certificates for your website. An SSL certificate helps to encrypt data (e.g., sensitive information, like credit card data) when it’s transmitted between a web browser and a web server.
This article originally appeared on LiquidWeb.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
More from MediaFeed:
10 ways to make your website better
If your new year’s resolution is to build your business in 2019, an excellent place to start is improving your website’s content and functionality. Here are 10 proven elements that will boost your website—and your visibility—to help you win more business.
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“Start by really identifying who your customers are and why they would use your site…the problem they trying to solve when they visit you,” says Tish Gance, who helps small businesses improve their online presence.
That helps you drill down to the purpose of your site: Are customers meeting you first, then validating your business by visiting the site, or are they discovering you exclusively through Google? Are they visiting to make a purchase versus primarily to find background and educational materials? “Sites will be structured differently depending on your visitors’ main needs,” Gance says.
To make sure you’re hitting the mark, consider a tool like Google Analytics, which can provide fruitful data about how users currently navigate your website, suggests Will Craig, managing director of LeaseFetcher. “Examining metrics like bounce rate and session duration will demonstrate whether users find the content of value or the site structure easy to follow, and help you pinpoint areas for attention and improvement.”
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Websites have to look good…it’s simple, but true, says Michael Wagner, web designer at Markon Brands. “Users who find websites to be visually appealing associate that aesthetic quality with professionalism, usability and trustworthiness,” he says, advocating for clean, structured page layouts.
Rely on plenty of white space, instead of a flashy design that distracts from the message, suggests Keri Lindenmuth, marketing manager at web technology firm KDG.
Then extend the “less is more” aesthetic to smart organization through simple, easy-to-use site navigation. Make sure there is a logical organization so that visitors intuitively know what to click to find what they are looking for. Lindenmuth recommends four or five top-level pages, with supporting pages under those as needed.
Finally, choose a website design tool that is easy to maintain, suggests Ruta Puistomaa of LiquidBlox. “Hiring a web developer for every little change you need to make will cost you both time and money,” she points out, which means you might put off important updates to your website.
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Many businesses have a vague “About” page full of with marketing speak, says John Locke, SEO consultant and founder of Lockedown Design & SEO. But people want to do business with people. A great place to start building a connection is by sharing a compelling story about the origin of your business. And then can the stock photos and use personal shots of your actual team and the office. “Showing who is behind the business will inspire more trust in your future customers,” Locke says.
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A description of your product or services and team introduction are just the beginning. Today’s successful websites also typically include information that can help customers learn more, whether through blog posts, case studies, video tutorials, infographics or FAQs.
They come to your site to learn more so make it easy for them to get informed. For example, if you sell spare car parts and have a page on wheel nuts, you can list all of the different wheel nuts you supply, and then create a video to show people how they can fit wheel nuts as well as a section discussing the problems people may run into when fitting them or how to choose the right ones, suggests Darren Kingman, a freelancer focusing on SEO.
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The right content also helps you appear more credible since customers landing on your website from search engines are often discovering you for the first time, points out Earl White, co-founder of House Heroes LLC. “To convert the person browsing your website to a lead, you need to make them feel comfortable about giving you a call, sharing their contact information or making a purchase.”
He finds that one of the best ways to build credibility is social proof, including client reviews and testimonials. Whether you create a video testimonial yourself, display positive reviews from Facebook, Yelp and GoogleMyBusiness or share industry awards and recognition specific to your niche, make it easy for potential clients to see themselves doing business with you.
(Self employed? Here are some of the tax forms you’ll need.)
Of course, all of this content also helps with “search engine optimization,” provided you are using the right keywords, which is the way a search engine decides what sites to return when someone searches a word or phrase, explains Chris Williams, digital marketing strategist and founder of Clock In Marketing. “Using high-volume and industry-relevant keywords and phrases allows you to pop up when people are searching for the product or service you offer,” he says. A keyword research tool like Wordtracker can help you decide which ones to focus on.
But while SEO once meant stuffing your site full of keywords, that strategy doesn’t work anymore, and might even get you dinged by the major engines. Instead, make sure you are using the keywords organically through quality content. “SEO is constantly evolving—think of the new importance of local SEO and voice search—so brush up on current methods or enlist help in optimizing your site,” says digital marketing consultant Mike Khorev.
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Many companies pay so much attention to SEO that they never consider whether their internal search is easy to use. But overlooking that can cost you sales. Jordan Harling, multimedia manager at Interior Goods Limited, says the company recently improved the customer experience—and increased their sales—by making it quicker and easier to find the product they were looking for.
After doing a deep dive into their website data, Harling said he found customers were navigating through the site manually, using filters to refine the products on each page, rather than deploying the search bar. The team discovered that the search function was only returning products that had the keyword in their title or description, rather than the including other attributes that the design team had tagged. Tweaking the search engine was a simple task that produced immediate results, he says, with a greater percentage of people using the search bar and increased conversions.
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Speed rules when it comes to webpage design. In fact, the probability of a customer abandoning your page increases 90 percent when page load time goes from one second to five seconds, according to Google research. (You can check your own page’s speed by running a Google Speed Test.)
The No. 1 way to speed up your page is by eliminating unnecessary JavaScript, the primary culprit of slow-loading pages, says Chris Love, who runs web consulting company, Love2Dev. He recommends WebPageTest, which provides insight into a wide variety of metrics and can be originated from a number of locations around the world using different phones and computers. “Audit your pages against an average phone, like a Nexus 5 over a 3G connection, to get a true feel for performance issues,” he says.
Another key way to optimize site speed is by compressing overly large media files, says Khorev. “Using smaller-sized imagery can make a big difference in page speed, especially for mobile users.”
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Most people look for information today through mobile searches, Khorev points out. The
Google Mobile Friendly Test can help you determine if your site loads and displays well on mobile devices so you can make the necessary adjustments.
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Finally, you want to engage with your visitor, so don’t overlook clear calls to action so your visitor knows what to do next—whether that’s downloading a resource, completing a transaction or using live chat for more information.
For best results don’t just use a web form on the contact page, recommends Locke. “Also include your physical address, phone number, and personal email.” If you do use a contact form as well, try the process yourself to make sure it works and delivers email to your inbox.
After all, the entire goal of the website is to start a conversation with your potential future customer, so make sure it’s easy and inviting for them to do so.
While improving your website can seem daunting, it’s one of the most worthwhile projects you can tackle. After all, a well-designed website is a gift that keeps on giving, selling you and your company to potential customers you don’t even know are looking.
Thinking about starting up your own business or just want to improve your existing one? Check out this small business guide.
This article originally appeared on the Quickbooks Resource Center and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Featured Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
